1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to the art of electrical connectors, or electrical terminals, and especially quick-connect terminals, or solderless terminals, for interlocking electrical components in circuit configurations.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
The Jambor U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,947 describes an electrical circuit board terminal springclip including a cylindrical coil spring for cooperation with a rivet that has a shank with a pair of notches formed in the shank near the rivet head. A straight end of the spring is positioned in a slot, and its free end is bent to engage a notch; thereby locking the spring to the rivet and the rivet to the board.
The Brouneus U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,848 describes an electrical contact member comprising a volute helix, or conically spiraled, length of resilient wire that has its upper part formed as a cylindrical helix for receiving the electrically conductive terminal member in the top end thereof. The lower portion of this conical spiral is compressed, or flattened, into a single plane.
The Mocnik U.S. Pat. No. 2,456,302 is not related to an electrical connector, but it describes a conical spring which is fastened at one end to a supporting surface by a wood screw. The purpose of this conical spring is to serve as a supporting device, or clip, for a sheet of paper. A suitable handle is shown at the free end of the spring, and it serves to assist in spreading the coils of the spring apart so as to make room for the paper which is to be captured therein.
The Pumphrey U.S. Pat. No. 1,642,695 describes a binding post to ensure good electrical contact between the binding post and one or more wires that are engaged by it. This patent describes several modifications of binding posts. The preferred embodiment shows a cone-shaped helical spring which terminates at its larger end in a wire-engaging loop member that extends up through the center of the spring and is arranged to cooperate with the top smaller end of the spring as a wire clamp.
The Scoville U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,926 describes a solderless terminal having a cylindrical helical spring that is mounted over a first and a second elongated, U-shaped, conductive terminal members forming a post.
The Stump U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,192 describes an electrical assembly wherein components are connected by resilient coils of electrically conductive, exposed, wire turns. Various components can be coaxially stacked on such coils and interconnected by other components by way of leads inserted between the wire turns.
The Witte et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,753 describes an electrical connector having a lead wire-receiving member that cooperates with a sleeve, or collar, that in turn is held in position by the conical, coiled, spring member that is supported on the base plate and held in place by a machine screw. The lead wire is held in place when it is inserted into one of the three peripheral slots. Thus, the lead wire would be held in one of said slots by the internal hoop stress of the conical spring.
The last patent is to Johnston U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,755, which describes an electrical connector having a pair of telescopic conical springs for each electrical connector. One conical spring is screwed into the other until they assume an interlocking relationship.